GOP Naperville lawyer to challenge White

CHICAGO — A Naperville attorney says he plans to challenge longtime Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White in the November election.

A news release from the state’s Republican party notes Mike Webster is a lifelong Illinois resident. He’s both a lawyer and a certified public accountant.

The Illinois Republican party says that top party officials met with Webster to encourage him to run. Party Chair Jack Dorgan has issued a statewide call to top GOP leaders to circulate petitions for Webster.

Webster says he is a political outsider who is “beholden to no one.” He says he’s unafraid to root out corruption and end “political shenanigans.”

White is a Chicago Democrat seeking his fifth term. He won by wide margins in both 2006 and 2010.